iPhone 3.0 to include device locator for MobileMe users

New screenshots of the iPhone OS 3. stolen.

When you rely so heavily on your iPhone as a phone, media player, portable gaming platform, and many other things, losing that device is not something you want to do. If you're a MobileMe user and are worried about iPhone theft, however, the upcoming iPhone OS 3.0 firmware may give you some peace of mind. AppleInsider is reporting that an upcoming feature called "Find My iPhone" will let MobileMe users see the location of their devices.

MobileMe's contact syncing feature has already reunited one stolen iPhone with its owner, but hoping thieves will add numbers to your phone is a bit of an iffy proposition. The new method for locating your iPhone should make things a bit easier, since it will (presumably) use the built-in GPS functionality to give you the device's location. At that point, you can swing by the location for a cup of tea and a nice chat with the thief. And, although it may not thwart sophisticated thieves with knowledge of the power button, the "Find My iPhone" feature should also help if you lose your phone in a taxi or a friend's car. (Editor's note: our own Clint Ecker would have appreciated that one about four months ago.)

The iPhone OS 3.0 beta features a single preference allowing you to turn the feature on or off. Since the new firmware is still in its beta phase, we don't know what the MobileMe side of things will look like; we're a bit curious to see how Apple implements the location request functionality.

If you jailbreak your phone, you already get this: Have a look at http://findmyi.orgIt also enables you to remotely disable your phone with a message if it's been stolen, as well as track it. It's a free service until you need it, then you can pay when you lose your phone.